Kindie Korner Adventures

Well, here we are- it feels like the night before the first day of school again.  My own 11 year old daughter is SOOO excited to go back to school tomorrow she is literally bouncing!  Not everyone is feeling quite so enthusiastic, I am sure.  Some reminders for you about drop off, pick up and more:

Morning Drop off:  Please try to have your child come to school as close to start time as possible.  You may drop your child off outside and have them walk in the school, OR KINDIE PARENTS ONLY, may accompany their kindie child to the classroom (one parent per child).  Please do not linger and socialize inside.  Children should come into the classroom with all of their supplies, backpack etc- no lockers are being used.

Pick Up: We will be lined up outside for pick up at the end of the day.  Our finish time is 2:30.  Please be as prompt as possible.

The playground will be closed before and after school.

Please send back all duotangs, whiteboard markers, pencils, scissors, crayons etc.  so your child has supplies to work with in class.

I would also suggest that you have your child watch the little video I posted the other day about the turtle and the hedgehog not hugging each other.  Talk gently with your child about saying hi and showing love to their friends in different ways that would be appropriate (air hugs, air high fives etc).  Remind them they can use their words to tell their friends how they are feeling about seeing them again.  And remind them that Mrs. Larsson would LOVE to hug them if she could, but for now we will need to think of different ways to show that we care.  I am SO looking forward to seeing most of you this week.  Things may be different, but there is still a lot that is the same.

See you soon!

I found this sweet video about coming back together and ways we can show each other we love one another while staying in our own space and thought it might help us as we come back together next week.

Hi everyone!

As we look at transitioning to a combination of online learning and in-class instruction, I wanted to take a moment to explain what I am planning to do.  I will continue to upload activities on the weekend via Freshgrade. If you are not returning to class, you can look at doing your best to complete all the assignments posted.  If your child is returning to class, you will NOT need to work on any activity that is marked with a *.  These activities will be done in class.

I hope that makes sense!

See you soon!

Thank you so much for your patience this week as we work things out for next week.

I just wanted to specifically mention that your child will not need to bring PE shoes or their pillow to school.  We will be having quiet reading rest time after lunch (which we were transitioning to before spring break) but we will just not use our pillows.

Dear Parents,

Starting on June 1, classes will be reopening for students to return. In preparation for students returning, we wanted to share some information based on what we know right now. In these strange and interesting times, these plans may change as the first day back arrives and we see how things flow. However, I wanted to connect with you and provide you with some items to consider.

First of all, as the BC Government has stated, returning to school is voluntary. After reviewing the plans laid out by our school admin, you are able to decide what is best for your child and decide whether to send your child back to school.

Here is a list of changes and procedures we have developed to help follow the social distancing and safety guidelines and recommendations put forward by the BC government:

• Student Health: Prior to sending your child to school each morning, we would ask that you check for signs of illness, including taking your child’s temperature. If you find signs of a fever or other signs of illness, we would ask that you keep your child at home. Whether you feel that it might be allergies or something else not Covid related, we would rather you err on the safe side. If a child shows signs of illness while at school, students will be isolated and parents informed that their child needs to be picked up immediately.

• Students will be returning in smaller groups. As recommended by the BC Government, class sizes are being split in half to accommodate social distancing guidelines. At this point, the school admin have designated Mondays and Wednesdays as the days for students with last names starting from A-L. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be for students whose last names begin with the letters M-Z. Unfortunately, we can not consider placing students based on friendship groupings as that becomes too difficult logistically.  There have been some adjustments made to this division.  You should have been notified if your child will be returning on days different from what is described here.  Please feel free to email me if you aren’t 100% clear about which days your child is expected.

• Blogs and Google Classroom will still be used to provide learning activities for all students. Students returning to school will do a combination of activities related to what has been posted online and extension/supplementary activities along with Health/Bible, Library and Gym. Grade 6 students will not have library periods during their time at school. Students staying at home will still be able to access the activities provided online. However, items like morning meetings, instructional videos, read alouds, etc. will not be provided as teachers work to maintain in-class learning.

• Our school week will also look a little different. We will be starting school at the normal time. However, we will be ending school at 2:30. This allows teachers the opportunity to contact students who are at home. In school classes will also not be operating on Fridays, to allow teachers time to connect with students at home. 

• School drop-off and pick-up procedures: In order to minimize the number of students congregating before and after school, we would ask that you attempt to drop your child off as close to the starting bell as possible so that students can go to class right away. Classes will be open at 8:45. The Kindergarten students are able to be dropped off right at the classroom door by one parent (no younger siblings) or walk to their classroom like a first grader. At the end of the day, students will be taken outside by their teacher and lined-up. Parents can collect their child from the line-up or children will be released as their parents are spotted arriving in their vehicles. As we are trying to minimize numbers of students congregating and practice social distancing, students can not be released straight from classrooms to the playgrounds or field areas. Please collect your child as close to 2:30 as possible. 

• Uniforms and Gym: Students are allowed to wear their Knight clothes to school instead of their school uniforms. Students will not be changing for gym classes and will not need their PE uniforms.
• Recesses and lunch will be staggered to keep the number of students in our outdoor spaces to a minimum. Students will be encouraged to avoid physical contact with other students while inside and outside. 
• Please bring water bottles: As our water fountains will be closed to students, students should bring a refillable water bottle.

• Supplies: For those students returning, please send all materials that were sent home so that students have items to use while at school. Glue, scissors, pencil crayons, chromebooks, etc will all be useful for students upon returning. Most items will be able to be kept in school in bags. Chromebooks will go back and forth with students.  Please make sure to send the following specific items:

• • All duotangs
  • whiteboard markers
  • pencils, crayons and glue

• Social Distancing Considerations: While we will attempt to follow the guidelines set out by the BC Government as best as possible, students may still be in close contact with other students. However, especially during outside periods, the focus will be on limiting physical human contact between students. Students and staff will have the option of wearing masks while at school. Desks will be reduced and spaced to provide distance between students, while in class and hand washing will be done several times a day. While the Government has stated that outdoor playgrounds are safe to use, staggered recesses, closing the Ga-Ga Ball pit and specifying that there should be no physical contact will all be put into place to help with social distancing. 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We miss seeing all our students. Their smiles, laughter, sparkling eyes and individual personalities are all things we have missed tremendously over these last weeks. We recognize that this reopening is not school as normal. Highroad Academy is working hard to provide a safe environment for our students while also trying to provide an opportunity for students to connect with their teachers and fellow classmates before the end of the year. However, we certainly understand if the guidelines feel too onerous or scary for your child. With the information that has been provided, please feel free to make your decision based on your own family and circumstances. If you have any further questions, please email our Elementary Department Head, Ian Hancock, to get more information.

To all the amazing families we have at Highroad who have journeyed with us in these trying times, we want to say thank you. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your support and prayers. Whichever decision you make, please know that we are praying for you, missing you and looking forward to the day when we will be together again as a Highroad community. 

Blessings,

Mrs Larsson

Hi Parents!

If you haven’t already filled out the latest survey about returning, please remember to fill it out before tomorrow morning so we know if we should be expecting your children back on campus next week.

If you didn’t get the new survey, please contact the office.

Hello everyone!  Well, here we are at the beginning of another week of learning at home.  As I am sure you have all heard, schools will be reopening on June 1 to in-class instruction, although things will look a bit different.  I hope you have had a chance to watch Mr. Morris’ video last week.  Don’t forget there is another parent zoom meeting tomorrow night (Monday). Look for more information in your emails.

Some things to know about this coming week:

Monday I am providing another opportunity for the girls to meet, and then for the boys.  Girls will meet from 10-10:30ish, and boys will meet from 10:30-11ish.  We will play a group game together again all about rhyming words!  I will send the google meet link in an email tomorrow morning.

Thursday/ Friday meetings: In order to prepare to open the classroom on June 1st I will need some time in the school to work on rearranging furniture and setting aside individual items for students.  Because I will be at the school on those days, I will not be available for individual meetings on Thursday and Friday.  If your child has a regularly scheduled meeting with me on one of those days, those meetings will be cancelled this week.

I will let you know more information as I receive it.  Thank you for your patience with us at this time of transition, yet again.

Have a great week!

Hey everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying this BEAUTIFUL Mother’s Day and not thinking about school work AT ALL!

I just wanted to let you know that I have uploaded the activities for the week but don’t expect you to look at them until tomorrow and I wanted to remind you that we will have some group meetings tomorrow again as well! Girls will meet from 10-10:30ish and boys will meet from 10:30-11ish.  We will play a scavenger hunt game together (or at least try to!)

Also, if your child hasn’t done story workshop yet, or participated in writer’s workshop recently, please make one of those activities a priority this week.  In addition, if counting collections hasn’t been something you have gotten to in previous weeks, please take a moment to try that activity.  The skills involved in these activities are so foundational and while they may not be your favorite (or your child’s favorite) there is so much that can be gained from them.  Give them a try!  They are actually quite fun!

You should have received an email with information from Mr Morris about an opportunity to join him for a parent zoom meeting on May 12 at 6:30 pm.

Please check your school email for the zoom link and password for the meeting.

Hi Parents!

Thank you all for the hard work you are putting in with your children.  I know (trust me, I know) that things are not always smooth and don’t always go according to plan.  Our children don’t always do what we expect or hope and things can be a struggle.  Breathe.  Take a break.  It will be okay.

I just wanted to give you an update on our green spelling duotangs.  I felt like things went quite well for us this week and I was happy to work with your child on these words during our meetings.  Going forward, I am happy to continue to use my meeting time with your child to work on those words, but I am also happy to let you work on those lists at home.  Day 1 you would say the word to your child and have them say it slowly to you, printing the letters carefully as they go.  Day 2 you would say the word, and your child would need to work on hearing the sounds in the words (you can help if needed) and print the letters accurately on the lines).  Day 3 is similar only now there are no letters on the page for them to trace.  If you could keep the following guidelines in mind when doing the spelling words, I would so appreciate it:

1.  How we print our letters (where we start and end) and where we put them on the lines is one of the main purposes of this activity.  If you notice your child has not put their letters in the correct place, please encourage them to correct it, or, I can help them with that during our meeting.  All letters should sit on the baseline (no floating in outerspace!)
2. Practicing hearing the sounds in words and printing what we hear is the other main purpose of this activity.  Saying the words slowly and emphasizing the sounds in the words is very important practice.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this as we move onto week 2.  You are all amazing!